Where moments ago the helm of the Invisible Hand had been rife with screaming blaster fire, now it was silent. Numbly, Ahsoka watched as the flaccid body of General Grievous collapsed at her feet, the movement stuck in a kind of slow-motion, like in a holo-film; when it landed, the resounding clatter echoed in her montrals and made her wince. Smoke hung in the air around her sabers, curling around the fluorescent green and yellow blades. An inhale brought her the acrid scents of both burning metal and flesh, and she blinked down at Grievous in disbelief.

I did it, she thought, taking a breath to steady herself, because her hands were shaking. It's over.

Another breath; another scent. Sweat. Masculine. The air was tinged with adrenaline and fading fear...for her.

Rex.

She looked up and found him at once, across the helm from where she was standing at the angular viewport. During the skirmish his bucket had been knocked off, she could see it askew on the floor behind him, at the threshold to the bridge. Both of his blasters were in his hands, the muzzles smoking slightly, as if exhaling in relief, and she felt her body relax a fraction; Rex was alive, he was standing over the bodies of the remaining two MagnaGuards that he'd destroyed while she fought the Separatist general. He was watching her with an expression she could only identify as awed.

It was not a large area, the helm of Grievous' ship, and the presence of a dozen or more felled droids of varying types only made the bridge seem smaller. Beyond the viewport she could see fractures of light against the backdrop of space; the battle above Coruscant was ongoing, and in the back of her mind she knew that there was surely somewhere else she should be heading, right now. It was war; there was always something to do.

Ahsoka looked back to her captain and found Rex's eyes on her, still. In his grip, his twin blasters still hovered in front of him as if he'd been frozen in time. They probably should leave, both of them, she was certain. Her mouth opened to tell him so.

And then, on some unseen, unheard signal, they each began to step across the room, over the bodies of dead droids and around smoking piles of slag that had once been computer consoles. As she moved, she deactivated her sabers, heard them clatter to the floor behind her; Rex's blasters followed suit. They met before the nav console, untouched and glowing green beneath the lights above them. She watched as he inhaled, as if to speak; she breathed in and smelled his sweat, the final traces of his fear that were dissipating in the wake of something far more powerful.

Before she knew it was happening she was pressing herself against his armored chest, both of his arms were reaching to encircle her waist, to pull her closer, and they were kissing each other like it was their last day alive.

It was like nothing she'd ever experienced.

There had been a few, brief explorations with Lux Bonteri, but those moments paled in comparison to now. At first they fumbled – it was a new experience, after all – but within moments they found an agreeable rhythm. Ahsoka tilted her chin just so and he relaxed a bit more, skimming his hand up her torso to cup her cheek with a tenderness and passion that shouldn't have startled her as much as it did.

In return, Ahsoka wrapped her arms around his neck, and – after a brief bump against his pauldron – rested them on his broad shoulders. He made a quiet, throaty noise of pleasure, and she marveled at how soft his lips were in contrast to his strong grip at her waist. The hand that had cupped her cheek graced down to her lek, as if he was trying to draw them together even further; the touch sent a shiver through her entire body and caused her head to start swimming, because she really needed to take a breath, but the very last thing she wanted to do was end this moment...

Then, naturally, her comlink chirruped, Master's voice coming through a moment later. "Ahsoka! Where are you? I could use some backup!"

Instantly, reality jolted through both Jedi and clone captain, causing them to pull apart, breath short as they stared at her comlink. Skyguy...he'd gone to free the Chancellor while she and Rex had made their way to the bridge of the Hand.

Whatever it was that passed between her and Rex had scattered with the sound, and she felt an aching, cold emptiness after the vibrant warmth of just a second ago. Still trying to catch her breath, Ahsoka lifted her comlink and spoke.

"Copy that, Master. Where are you?"

There was a grunt, followed by a hiss of static that made her heart tighten with fear, but Skyguy answered a moment later; his wry amusement felt forced as he gave his location, though it was punctuated by an ominous: "Don't take too long, okay Snips?"

In her time as his Padawan, she'd never heard her master sound as afraid and angry as he did in that moment, and she was gripped with sudden shame. Master was in trouble and she was away...with Rex. Kissing Rex...

As if sensing her thoughts, her captain shifted in his place, and she could feel the uncertainty rolling off of him, combined with a chagrin that mirrored her own. They were so close, still, not touching anymore even though she could feel the heat from the exhalation of his breath. If she were to look up, they would be a breath away from one another; her lips still tingled and her fingertips still ached.

As she answered, she swallowed but did not look up at Rex's eyes, which she could feel boring down upon her. "We'll be right there."

The link went dead.

Normally, I write something, edit, wait a few days, edit some more...and more, then post. I never write and post immediately, it's just not how I do things.

But I've had this one-shot in my head for some time, and when it came out today, I wanted to share. :)

The author would like to thank you for your continued support. Your review has been posted.